Sano's throwing elbow was still sore, and the highly rated power-hitting prospect for the Twins was headed for an orthopedic exam that afternoon.

"You think I should have the surgery?" Sano asked Plummer.

He was talking about Tommy John surgery. Just hearing the question made Plummer's heart sink.

"If this was nothing, Miguel wouldn't have asked me that," Plummer said Friday afternoon from his New York headquarters. "I have a feeling this is more than nothing."

Later Friday, Plummer called back to stress that he was remaining optimistic. Results of the magnetic resonance imaging exam on Sano's elbow weren't due until Saturday at the earliest.

"I hope this is just no more than a minor setback," Plummer said. "We just have to wait and see how his elbow responds."

The rehabilitation period for position players to fully recover from surgery on their ulnar collateral ligament is typically shorter than the 10 to 12 months it takes pitchers. Even in the best-case scenario, however, it still takes six to nine months for position players to reclaim full throwing strength.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford had ligament reconstruction surgery in August 2012 while with the Boston Red Sox.

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He was back in the lineup by the following Opening Day, a little more than seven months after surgery.

Sano, who made several accurate throws while playing third base in Thursday's intrasquad game, was removed after four innings when he reported an odd sensation in his elbow. That immediately followed an off-balance throw across his body on a Kurt Suzuki chopper to third for the first out of the fourth inning.

"He came in and they asked him, 'How did that feel?' " Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He said he felt it a little bit on that one. So they took him out of the game and he went in to get it checked out. When he came in (Friday), it was still a little sore."

Sano, 20, missed all but two games of the Dominican Winter League season after suffering a strained UCL. He had been on a conservative throwing program since returning to the U.S. in early January.

"It's not anything that's a complete, utter shock," Antony said. "Through all his time when he was shut down and came back and started throwing again, we knew (the elbow's strength) wasn't going to be (known) until he started getting into games."

Sano handled two earlier chances without issue, starting a double play with a strong throw to second and throwing across the diamond after setting his feet. The Suzuki chopper provided a bigger challenge.

"That's one of the throws we're going to keep an eye on," Antony said. "You can do it in workouts all you want. It's (not) until you get into game action and you react and you make a play. Now is the time to find out."

Hours before the Twins announced Sano's elbow problems, Red Sox star David Ortiz raved about his fellow Dominican Republic product.

"The Monster!" Ortiz said. "Yeah, that's my boy. I always talk to him. Big kid. Good kid. He's improving every year. I know pretty soon the Twins are going to have a legitimate infielder with pop. That might be this year, you never know."

Sano's rehabilitation with Twins trainers had been going well, Antony said, with the big third baseman making throws for several straight days, then taking a day to rest his arm.

"I think they had a plan and they followed the plan perfectly," Antony said. "Unfortunately, he felt a little something, and we have to check it out and see where it's at. We've got to figure out what degree it is. Then we have to make a decision."

Unless Friday's MRI shows a fully torn UCL, it's possible the Twins will attempt to continue rest and rehabilitation as a way to avoid surgery for Sano.

There was discussion in October between Sano's camp and the Twins about having Tommy John surgery, which possibly could have put him back on a field during the first half of the regular season.

Sano traveled to the Twin Cities for a full exam in November and went to see noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. The decision was made at that time to put Sano on no-throw status until his elbow improved.

Baseball America recently ranked Sano No. 6 among all prospects that still have rookie status.